INTERACT FORUM
Windows => Plug-in Development => Topic started by: KiofteD on September 17, 2018, 06:11:18 am
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Hello!
For a plug in that controls an external lcd screen, would be very interesting to display the current menu in theater mode, so that one could navigate with the main monitor off. Is there any interface for providing such information? Thanks!
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That's usually done with a phone or tablet.
https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Remotes
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Thanks! However it seems that the only possibility is to control the database independently from the program. I don't think this works on a secondary lcd display of an htpc. Here one only needs the displayed info, like current volume, playing now, elapsed time etc.
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That would be a very fine thing. Many htpc cases have an built in lcd screen (mine too) and it would be fine to show there an extra menü
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I haven't played with MC and dual monitors, but what happens when you have the setting "Options > Tree & View > Full Screen (Display View, Theatre View, etc.) > Monitor" set to "Nearest Monitor"?
If your main display is off, does MC show on your secondary display? Is that what you were after?
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It could be that some lcd displays are recognized as monitors by the system. However, mine is controlled by a separate program (imon) and I need to run an interface plug in for jriver to work with it.
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Ah yes, the veritable old iMon.
See this: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=112358.0
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Yes....that is where I come from ;-) However the developers of this plugin do not know if such an interface exists, so I thought it would be a good idea to open a new thread....
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Well MCWS (https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Web_Service_Interface) is the answer. It is self-documenting, so check the docs for what it can do.
Jim's suggestion probably make more sense though: Control MC with a remote, which already uses MCWS and can control what is happening in MC.
If you really want a small version of Theatre View on the LCD, someone is going to have to rewrite that VFD in 64bit, or write something that directs monitor output to the LCD in a small version. That doesn't exist for MC at present, as far as I know. There may be some sort of generic solution out there though.
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I already updated the plugin for 64-bit. Neither MCWS nor any other API I'm aware of provide what OP is asking for. As I understand it, OP wants the VFD to display the current theater view selection on the VFD so that it's possible to navigate solely through the VFD (no theater view, no web page, no external LCD, etc.).
-tm
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I guess the only solution would be something that redirects monitor output to the LCD in a small version then, if that was of any use, being very small.
So that something would either have to detect that the main monitor (TV) was off, and redirect the output from Windows to the LCD as a monitor, or it would have to treat the iMon LCD as a second monitor which was a duplicate of the first, and always on regardless of the TV status.
Not unachievable, but probably a project outside of JRiver's development plan.
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That seems massively overcomplicated. MC already knows what widget is selected on the theater UI. It's a matter of providing a hook for a plugin or MCWS client to use.
-tm
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Maybe. But Windows 10 already supports multiple monitors and monitor switching. I suspect that the iMon/LCD architecture wouldn't support the LCD being treated as a monitor anyway. Plus changing from a large screen TV to a small resolution LCD monitor could cause all sorts of resolution switching issues.
But if what the OP asked for was actually provided, what would the display be used for, and how? I'd be interested to hear the Use Case. Because knowing that the highlight is currently on"Video" and I could move it down to "Movies" wouldn't help me much, because from there trying to display a list of movies on the LCD would be problematic, I would think, unless a whole new display method was used. If a user really knew the menu structure off by heart, I guess they could navigate to the Menu List View, and then scroll down the list, but then what? The TV is off, so the movie can't be played. It would be easier to turn the TV on to navigate. There would be similar issues with Audio as well. Even navigating to an Album or Track, or Playing Now, would be problematic. Adding tracks to Playing Now wouldn't be a good process.
So I'm wondering why this is really required, and how it would be used? Not that I can do anything about providing it!
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Well, for movies it is useless, since you anyway need the tv. The use is in audio. In my case (and I suppose other do it as well) I turn on my pc and go play a complete album or a saved playlist. This happens way more often than actively changing tracks in the playlist itself. The menu structure I know by heart.
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The use is in audio. In my case (and I suppose other do it as well) I turn on my pc and go play a complete album or a saved playlist.
For that Use Case, Gizmo or one of the other remotes like JRemote, MO 4Media, or Panel would be perfect. No need to build a solution around the LCD, or navigate Theatre View menus.
It seems Jim was correct again, in the first reply to this thread.
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I think the point here is that many people use classical all-in-one remotes for the tv, sound system etc (I have the harmony). I also use jrremote when I want to do sth more. But in daily use is only the harmony. And the daily use consists of going to a genre, choose an artist and an album, hit play and listen. When bored, repeat the procedure until I don't want to listen to anything anymore and click on power off on the remote. If I had the current menu on the lcd, I wouldn't even need to turn the tv on (one extra button on the harmony). It just is simpler than looking for my phone and turning on jremote.
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I don’t think those lcd screens are monitors. Programs don’t access monitors directly in Windows ... one can use specific API (like direct3D) to tell GPU to draw something to monitor ... but as those lcd are not technically monitors (ie. not connected to GPU) that won’t work for them.
Likely that LCD is connected to PC through USB port. Problem with these lcd ... they are not standardized interfaces (like printers or scanners) ... so you cannot write universal code that works with every type of these lcd.
I never had one of these cases ... but I suspect they provide CD that installs drivers and some program that controls that LCD ... if driver has API or at least program has command line control. One can write a plugin that sends what you want.
Something like ... on start playing run command line that sends string “Track - Artist” to lcd to loop (or use API if lcd provide it) ... if lcd supports it might even send image to it ... on change track resend the information ... on stop playing send JRiver logo :)
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Quick search on internet ... seems those lcd use JSON interface (aka not monitors)
I am not familiar with this interface at all ... alternatively to using JSON directly, one can:
https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=196145
Seems somebody wrote dll that interfaces kodi and imon/smartie ... one can disregard part that interfaces with kodi and only use functions that sends info to those lcd
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I don’t think those lcd screens are monitors. Programs don’t access monitors directly in Windows ... one can use specific API (like direct3D) to tell GPU to draw something to monitor ... but as those lcd are not technically monitors (ie. not connected to GPU) that won’t work for them.
Likely that LCD is connected to PC through USB port. Problem with these lcd ... they are not standardized interfaces (like printers or scanners) ... so you cannot write universal code that works with every type of these lcd.
I have a ThinkVision LT1421 (http://psref.lenovo.com/Detail/ThinkVision_LT1421?M=1452-DS6), which I used as a monitor a couple of years ago, between TVs, I was able to display MC in Standard and Theatre View on it. I could even play movies.
It is USB connected, externally. It is not connected to a GPU, except via a driver. Also powered by USB.
Same principle. The LCD just needs the right driver to drive the simpler display.
I think the point here is that many people use classical all-in-one remotes for the tv, sound system etc (I have the harmony).
I use a Harmony as well. I don't think I would enjoy using it to find music as displayed on an LCD on the front of my HTPC. I think that would get very old very quickly for me. MO 4Media would work better for me.
I'll leave you to pursue a solution KiofteD.